University of Auckland

What you'll study

This double degree brings together core and advanced study from both music and law. From the music side you will study a mix of performance, composition, musicology and music theory, with options in popular music studies, ethnomusicology, music technology and conducting. Practical components include one-to-one tuition, ensemble participation, studio work, and public recitals. From the law side you will take foundational compulsory subjects such as contract, tort, criminal law, property, constitutional and administrative law, and legal research and writing, followed by elective papers in commercial law, intellectual property, evidence, and specialised areas like entertainment and media law.

• Performance and practical training: private lessons, chamber and large ensembles, public recitals and recordings.
• Music scholarship: music theory and analysis, history of music, research methods, and final-year research projects or dissertations.
• Law fundamentals: core legal doctrines and skills including legal reasoning, statutory interpretation, and legal writing.
• Specialist law options: electives such as intellectual property, international commercial law, employment law and arts/entertainment law.
• Work-integrated learning: clinical legal placements, mooting and negotiation, and industry internships or community-engaged music projects.

Entry requirements

Admission requires meeting the University of Auckland's general undergraduate entrance criteria and the Faculty of Law's academic prerequisites. Applicants will need a strong academic record in secondary or tertiary study appropriate to university-level law. From the music side, applicants must demonstrate musical ability—this is assessed by audition (live or recorded), portfolio, or by evidence of prior formal study and experience.

International applicants must meet English language competency requirements set by the University. Some law papers and progression to Honours may require a minimum grade point average; details on specific progression policies are provided by the Law School and the School of Music.

Career prospects

Graduates leave with both professional legal qualifications and advanced musical skills, opening diverse career pathways. Typical legal careers include roles as solicitors, barristers, in-house counsel, policy advisers, compliance officers, and roles in public and private sector organisations. The music component supports careers as performers, composers, arrangers, music producers, educators, arts administrators and researchers.

The combined skill set is especially valuable in areas where law and the creative industries intersect: entertainment and media law, intellectual property and copyright practice, cultural heritage law, arts management, and legal advocacy for arts organisations. Graduates may also pursue postgraduate study in law (LLM), music (MMus), or research degrees.

Why study at University of Auckland

The University of Auckland offers both a well-established Law School with strong connections to the New Zealand legal profession and a vibrant School of Music with extensive performance and research opportunities. Students benefit from clinical legal programmes, mooting, and internships that build practical legal skills, alongside conservatoire-style training, ensembles, and performance venues that support artistic development.

Studying at Auckland provides access to experienced academic staff active in research, links with local arts organisations and the legal community, and cross-disciplinary opportunities that let you shape a career bridging music and law. Support services for study skills, career planning, and industry engagement are available to help you transition into professional practice.